An equipment problem on the tracks in the East Bay caused big headaches for BART riders for hours Wednesday and continued to hamper service in the afternoon commute as major delays were reported and trains were halted entirely between the Concord and Pittsburg/Bay Point stations.

The delays and service suspension are expected to last into the evening, officials said due to a “trackside equipment problem.” The suspension in service is between the North Concord/Martinez station to the Pittsburg/Bay Point station.

The problems were first reported about 9:30 a.m. and continued throughout the day.

“Although BART's transit partners have contributed buses to a bus bridge that is connecting the two stations, BART passengers using the bus bridge should anticipate crowded buses and additional travel time,” according to a statement released by the agency about 2:30 p.m.